Bathtubs are completely useless

My wife and I want to build our own home, but the process overwhelms us. Where do we even begin?

The first thing to do is clearly put down a list of requirements, which is called a programme, based on your lifestyle needs. It should represent your life today, but keep in mind what your requirements will be 10 years from now. What will be your family structure in 10 years? How will your life and needs have changed? What do you essentially need from a home? Next, you need to create a true representation of your lifestyle to give you an exact idea of how you live. Do you entertain a lot? Do you spend most of your time in the bedroom? Do you cook yourself or do you have a cook? Put down all the little habits that make up your lifestyle. Next, create a list of items and visuals you like from various magazines, books or the Web; for instance, any furniture or interior projects that catch your eye. You’ll start understanding what appeals to you visually this way. Fourth, put down a budget. What can you spend over the next two years? This will be the start for you.

We’ve never had a bathtub before, but it seems like the latest trend in luxury design.

In my opinion, bathtubs are completely useless, especially with water being such a precious resource. To use a bathtub would require 200 litres of water, while a shower uses only 45 litres of water, and that’s water which is treated and good enough to drink. I think it’s highly inadvisable to be using bathtubs. However, if you still want one, and they are growing in popularity, add one to the master bathroom. One bathtub can serve the whole family.